Re: Mark Up
I don't think they can.
A few years ago (I am posting anon because this is a true story) my job on leaving the Forces was to wear a black suit and stand behind a (real) Arab Prince as he went about his business. This gentleman decided one day that I and my co-worker were insufficiently blinged up to lurk properly behind him. He therefore ordered his PA to make an appointment with the local TAG emporium in the Mall of the Emirates. She did so.
Their response was to send a chap round with a briefcase chained to his arm containing one of everything they currently had for gentlemen of over six feet four with very large wrists. My boss decided he liked one of these but sadly, the obsequious representative had only brought one of them.
To the car! he cried, and galloped off on a manner distressing to anyone tasked with stopping the silly bugger getting himself shot or stabbed so we quickly caught up. And we drove to the MotE. And by the time we arrived, TAG had a full (armed) escort ready for my boss (which caused problems because then we had to spend half an hour searching and vetting the security team) to take us to their store where we got food, drinks, long detailed questions about how we wear our watches, measured up, the small gouge marks on the back of my left hand made by the chrono button on my old watch were measured to the millimeter.... basically, we were there in the lap of luxury for nearly four hours. With a whole team of TAG staff looking after us. So that my boss could buy two watches.
Now tell me, do you think TAG made a huge profit on that? Do you think Apple will provide that kind of service? Do you think Apple will get that kind of client if they don't?
I left my watch behind when I quit. Wish I hadn't. It would have made a good deposit for a house.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
